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Sat, 25 May 2019 13:40:13 +0000Joomla! 1.5 - Open Source Content Managementen-gbReal Madrid fancied to make it three-in-row against Liverpoolhttp://www.thesportscampus.com/2018052566284/european-news/real-madrid-fancied-to-make-it-three-in-row-against-liverpool
http://www.thesportscampus.com/2018052566284/european-news/real-madrid-fancied-to-make-it-three-in-row-against-liverpoolReal Madrid face Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final in Kiev on May 26 aiming to win the trophy for the third successive year. The La Liga club beat Bayern Munich in the last four to advance to the final, while Liverpool defeated Roma to book their spot.

The two sides' most recent meetings came in the group stage during the 2014/15 season. Madrid won 3-0 at Anfield and 1-0 at home.

Bookmakers make Zinedine Zidane's side slight favourites in the online betting market at odds of 4/6 to defend their crown, with Liverpool on offer at 11/10.

Madrid finished second behind Tottenham Hotspur in the group stage, leaving themselves a tough route to navigate to the final.

The Spanish club have defeated Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Bayern to reach Saturday's showdown, although they have had a scare or two along the way.

Their 3-1 defeat at home to Juventus in the quarter-finals showed that they can be vulnerable, yet they still found a way to win on aggregate and their experience in this competition should stand them in good stead.

Liverpool haven't won the Champions League for 13 years and their wait to claim Europe's top prize is likely to go on a little while longer yet.

Their road to the final began against Hoffenheim back in August, with the Reds securing a 6-3 aggregate success in a play-off for the group stage.

They got off to a shaky start in Group E, drawing with Sevilla and Spartak Moscow, although two victories over Slovenian side Maribor put them in a good position to qualify for the knockout stage.

A second-half collapse at Sevilla - where Liverpool blew a 3-0 lead - put pressure on their final group game, but a 7-0 demolition of Spartak Moscow saw the Anfield outfit comfortably progress into the round of 16.

The Reds started the knockout phase with a 5-0 victory at Porto, before a dull 0-0 draw at home moved them into the last eight.

A 5-2 victory over Roma in the first leg of the semi-final set them up nicely for the return game in Italy and two early goals in the return game appeared to have ended the tie.

However, Roma battled back to reduce the deficit to one late in the second half, but Liverpool clung on to book their place in Kiev.

Jurgen Klopp's side have done well to reach the final, but Madrid represent a significant step up in class from most of the teams they've faced in this season's competition and they are fancied to lift the trophy.

]]>administrator@thesportscampus.com ( )European NewsFri, 25 May 2018 14:07:32 +0000Milan eyeing Europa League progression, Arsenal target top spothttp://www.thesportscampus.com/2017112265665/european-news/milan-eyeing-europa-league-progression-arsenal-target-top-spot
http://www.thesportscampus.com/2017112265665/european-news/milan-eyeing-europa-league-progression-arsenal-target-top-spotThere's still plenty to play for in the Europa League, with just five teams securing their places in the round of 32 so far.

Steaua Bucharest, Dynamo Kiev, Arsenal, Lazio and Zenit St Petersburg are definitely through to the next stage, while the likes of Villarreal, AC Milan and Marseille are amongst the teams still aiming to qualify.

Milan host Austria Vienna on Thursday knowing that a win would send them through. The Serie A side won 5-1 in Austria earlier in the group stage and are priced at 2/7 to record another victory.

Villarreal can also progress if they can defeat Astana in Kazakhstan. The Spanish side recorded a 3-1 victory at home and are fancied at 11/8 to complete the double this week.

Marseille could find themselves in a spot of bother if they lose at Konyaspor. The French outfit are currently second in their group behind Red Bull Salzburg, but they are only two points ahead of Thursday's opponents and Vitoria SC.

A draw would probably suit Marseille, especially with a home game against Salzburg still to come, and that can be backed at 12/5.

Arsenal's place in the Europa League knockout stage is already guaranteed, although they'll be keen to secure top spot in Group H.

Arsene Wenger must decide whether to risk Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud for the game, especially with Danny Welbeck back in contention after injury.

The former United forward is 8/5 to score at any time during the match and that could be worth an interest.

Cologne, who are bottom of the Bundesliga after a 1-0 defeat at Mainz on Sunday, will be without vice-captain Jonas Hector due to a knee injury.

Arsenal beat the German side 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium back in September and are available at 18/1 to match that feat on Thursday.

Group J is undoubtedly the tightest of all the groups heading into the fifth round of games, with just three points separating the four sides.

Swedish minnows Ostersund will go through if they beat Zorya Luhansk, but both Athletic Bilbao and Hertha Berlin are still in with a chance of progressing.

Group F is also tight, with FC Copenhagen, FC Sheriff and Lokomotiv Moscow battling for the two qualifying spots. Sheriff will go through if they beat FC Zlin and Lokomotiv fail to beat Sheriff.

A victory for Ludogorets over Basaksehir would send them through from Group C, while Braga will also progress if they beat Hoffenheim.

Three points for the German side would keep their hopes of qualification alive and they can be backed at 6/5 to record a victory in Portugal.

Other teams likely to secure qualification to the round of 32 include Partizan Belgrade, Lyon, Atalanta, Viktoria Plzen and Real Sociedad.

Arguably the biggest casualty of the group stage is Everton, with the Premier League side picking up just a point from their four games to date.

The Toffees host Atalanta on Thursday with nothing to play for but pride, although caretaker boss David Unsworth will be eager for his side to produce a performance that enhances his claims to be handed control on a permanent basis.

Everton are 21/10 to beat the Serie A side and avenge their 3-0 defeat in Italy earlier in the tournament.

Atalanta haven't won in their last four games in all competitions and although Everton have also been struggling for form Thursday's game is the ideal opportunity to give their fans something to cheer about.

File Photograph Copyright: Ryu Voelkel

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]]>administrator@thesportscampus.com ( )European NewsWed, 22 Nov 2017 15:29:07 +0000Conte lashes out at Mourinho after Chelsea's latest drawhttp://www.thesportscampus.com/2017101965413/european-news/conte-lashes-out-at-mourinho-after-chelseas-latest-draw
http://www.thesportscampus.com/2017101965413/european-news/conte-lashes-out-at-mourinho-after-chelseas-latest-drawThe war of words being Chelsea Manager Antonio Conte and his predecessor in the role Jose Mourinho seems to be heating up with the former Italian superstar once again lashing out at the former 'Special One'.

Conte, whose Chelsea side were held to a 3-3 draw by AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, said in an interview after the game, "A lot of time Mourinho has to see what happens at Chelsea... A lot of time, also last season, I think he has to think about his team and stop, to look at himself, not the others."

Conte's latest remarks about Mourinho come as a result of the Manchester United boss saying in an interview recently, that other managers, "cry and cry and cry" about injuries. Conte appears to have taken the remarks to heart after a clutch of injuries has left his midfield resources badly depleted.

However, some of Conte's woes are of his own making, having sold Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic to Manchester United this summer, a transfer that surprised the fans of both teams. Matic's departure has left Chelsea short of quality players in the middle of the park, and has on the other hand also strengthened United considerably.

Chelsea deployed David Luiz as a makeshift midfielder on Wednesday, but lost the Brazilian center-back to an injury too. That leaves the Blues with just Cesc Fabregas as a recognized central midfield option available for selection at present.

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]]>administrator@thesportscampus.com ( )European NewsThu, 19 Oct 2017 08:04:44 +0000Champions League 2017-18: Can anyone stop Real Madrid?http://www.thesportscampus.com/2017080764763/european-news/champions-league-2017-18-can-anyone-stop-real-madrid
http://www.thesportscampus.com/2017080764763/european-news/champions-league-2017-18-can-anyone-stop-real-madridReal Madrid became the first team in the Champions League era to retain European football’s top trophy last season and with 2017-18 just around the corner, all eyes will be focused on usurping the Spaniards this season.

Zinedine Zidane’s men have won the pinnacle of club football in three of the last four years, vindicating their status as arguably the biggest club in the global game.

A 4-1 win over Juventus in the final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium back in June capped a fantastic season for the Santiago Bernabeu outfit, who will take some beating in the new campaign.

With the evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo showing why he is the current Ballon d’Or holder, world-class talent all over the pitch and a few exciting new faces, Madrid are the complete package.

There is a feeling that there are only a handful of teams that could be good enough to knock Madrid off their perch, with age-old rivals Barcelona certainly one of the contenders.

Despite the sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record fee and a new coach at the helm, the Catalan giants are still loaded with supreme ability.

In Lionel Messi Barcelona possess a superstar capable of winning a game single-handedly, while the Camp Nou side are sure to spend their proceeds from Neymar’s sale on a new exciting addition.

The Blaugrana are at odds of 5/1 to win the Champions League next season in Ernesto Valverde’s first campaign in the Barcelona hotseat.

Bayern Munich are a consistent threat in the Champions League and were the last non-Spanish side to win the tournament, in 2013. Carlo Ancelotti knows what it takes to land the crown as a manager and his Allianz Arena squad is packed with Germany international stars.

A menacing home record and massive fan base make Bayern one of the favourites with the bookmakers, who offer up odds of around 6/1 for the Bavarians to become European champions once more.

PSG’s owners have shown their ambition with the signing of Neymar, with the French capital city outfit desperate to be in the running to claim the Champions League.

A forward line of the Brazilian star, Edinson Cavani, Julian Draxler and Angel Di Maria is mouth-watering and on their day Unai Emery’s men are capable of beating anyone in Europe.

If you think 2017-18 will be PSG’s year, odds of 11/1 are available for the Ligue 1 side to become the continent’s top dogs.

With the final qualifying round draw having already taken place, the make-up of world football’s top club tournament is close at hand, with Europe’s top teams set to fight it out for Champions League glory again this season.

According to Spanish publication Marca, the 34-year-old full-back, who currently plays for English Premier League (EPL) club West Ham United has called time on his career and said this is the right time for him to leave despite being physically fit.

"It's time to say goodbye. Physically I was ok to keep playing," he was quoted as saying by Marca.

The former Spain international was a part of his country's FIFA World Cup winning squad in 2010. He was also a part of the Spanish squad that won consecutive UEFA European Championship titles in 2008 and 2012. He made 56 appearances for Spain from 2009 to 2013.

Having learnt his trade in Real Madrid's youth team, Arbeloa spent half a season at Deportivo la Coruna before he was whisked away to Liverpool, where he established himself as a first team regular. After 98 appearances in two and a half seasons at Liverpool, a return to Real Madrid beckoned.

He made 153 appearances for Real Madrid from 2009 to 2016 before making a move to the London club last season where he featured in three EPL games.

Arbeloa asserted that his time at Real Madrid was the best of his career. He won two UEFA Champions League titles, one La Liga and two Copa Del Rey titles during his time with the current European champions alongside some of the star footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, James Rodriguez, Alvaro Morata and Dani Carvajal.

"Madrid is the club of my life, I will never call to ask for a job, but I am always available to offer myself," he said.

He also spoke in favour of the Real Madrid President, Florentino Perez.